Town will sorely miss DTC Chair

Published 7:34 pm, Thursday, March 11, 2010

Town will sorely miss DTC Chair

To the editor:

My heart goes out to the family of DTC Chairman Dave Roberson, who tragically lost his life in an accident last Monday night. While residents of the town of Greenwich cannot nearly share in the deep personal pain that the family must feel, Dave's loss certainly extends deep into the Greenwich community. The fact that the accident occurred as Dave was on his way home from another lengthy RTM meeting underscores his commitment to public service to the town of Greenwich, a commitment only exceeded by his devotion to his mother and his late father.

I got to know Dave Roberson during last year's local elections when I sought the Democratic nomination for Tax Collector. Being a novice in seeking public office, I needed a lot of advice, and Dave was always willing to offer it and willing to help.

What was really telling, though, about Dave Roberson the person, was that even after I lost the party primary, the phone calls and advice did not stop. As dedicated as he was to his position as DTC chair, Dave never lost sight of the bigger picture. He was always conscious that the process itself was more important than any individual or any party.

Dave Roberson was a fair guy, a trait all too often absent in partisan politics. For this, the town of Greenwich will sorely miss Dave Roberson.

Rick Novakowski

Cos Cob

Shining example

To the editor:

It is with deep sadness that I learned of the passing of Greenwich DTC Chair Dave Roberson. The first time I met Dave was in Frank Farricker's living room. I was the new chair of the New Canaan DTC and Frank was running for the state Senate seat in the 36th District. Dave was there to advise us all.

When Jim Himes left the post of Greenwich DTC chair to run for Congress, Dave took over. We saw each other fairly regularly as contemporary chairs, getting together for dinner with others from the 4th Congressional District, to discuss strategy and divvy up jobs. Dave was always front-and-center, willing to do whatever was needed.

Dave and I got to know each other better on road trips to Pennsylvania during the primary days of 2008. Along with other Obama activists, we made phone calls and went door-to-door. We worked closely together on the Himes campaign in the Fall of 2008. Dave would come to the Springdale office to work on our canvassing program when he wasn't manning the headquarters in Greenwich, and we celebrated together in Washington when we went to Jim's swearing-in.

The last time I saw Dave was at the "Party for the Party" at the Fat Cat Pie Company in Norwalk a few weeks back. Dave was the quintessential Democrat -- working tirelessly for the party with no personal agenda. He was someone all of us active in politics could look up to as a shining example. We will miss you, Dave.

Health care legislation is one of the most important issues of our time. We have a dangerous situation, getting worse. The current system has become a significant financial drain on American businesses and causes them to be uncompetitive in a global marketplace, while at the same time providing lower value to American health care consumers.

The social cost of this crisis is very real for our neighbors who have lost their jobs and also their health insurance, who see their insurance terminated because they have become ill, who cannot obtain insurance due to pre-existing health conditions, or who simply cannot afford health insurance.

Small businesses, their employees, and self-employed residents of Greenwich -- the backbone of our local economy -- are among those who suffer from the current system and would benefit from reform legislation.

Small business owners and their employees constitute a large portion of the uninsured in America, due to the high cost of health insurance. The combination of tax credits, subsidies, and insurance exchanges contemplated by the health care legislation would enable them to obtain insurance at affordable rates, allowing entrepreneurs to reinvest in their businesses and contribute to the growth of the local economy.

The status quo is simply unacceptable: It jeopardizes the healthy society that we should value, and it erodes the economy that we must rebuild. Health care reform is good for all of us. Congressman Jim Himes knows this, and he supports reform legislation. Bravo.

Long Island Sound is a hallmark of Connecticut -- creating lasting memories for our families, promoting vibrant tourism and fishing industries and providing essential habitat for wildlife. Every summer, Connecticut residents and people throughout the region come to enjoy the beaches. Inland, the system of rivers and streams that feed the Sound also provides spectacular vistas, canoeing and fishing grounds.

However, since Bush-era Supreme Court decisions gutted clean-water protections, Connecticut's waterways and waterways across the country have lost federal safeguards. The Clean Water Act no longer guarantees that all water in the U.S. is protected from limitless dumping.

As summer draws nearer, our U.S. representatives have the opportunity to pass legislation that would protect the Sound and all state waterways. We need Congressman Himes to urge his colleagues to act promptly to restore the Clean Water Act to ensure that all our waterways are clean enough to swim in and fish from, and all Americans have safe drinking water.